So, it's been a while since the last chapter. I hope you're ready for some more Land of Might. This part here is going to be the turning point for several things in the story. I won't say much more than that. For now, enjoy the read and I hope it was worth the wait!

Chapter 22: The Battle of Jianye – Part II

A tiger – a beast so proud and fierce. Unmatched in its pride and primal fury, it stepped forth onto the battlefield with little regard for its safety, standing in defence of all that it knew and held true. No matter the odds, no matter how many foes stood on its path, this proud creature would fight until the very end. Indeed, to stand in the face of adversity and give the mightiest of roars was the only way to go into the flames of battle.

"My lord, our outer defences have fallen. Fires have started across the Western wing of the castle. Lady Shang-Xiang's forces have withdrawn to the boarder of our territory and plan to launch a counter offensive alongside Master Lu Su."

So the enemy had broken through at long last, huh? This didn't sound good, but regardless of all that waited on the horizon, it was naught for a ruler of men to choose his destiny. Indeed, it was for the heavens. Alas, letting out a deep sigh, standing tall, his expression falling into a smile, Sun Ce the Little Conqurer readied his tonfa.

The last thing he did? Well, his duty of course. Giving the simple soldier whom had delivered the news a faint nod of acknowledgement, he stopped just short of the doorway. "Tell me soldier," he began quickly. "Have we had word from the troops stationed at Heifei?"

A shake of the head from his subordinate. Well, this certainly wasn't going too well.

"Nothing yet, my lord. However, we have done as you have instructed and safely escorted your wife to Wuji for protection. Lady Xiao Qiao is reportedly on the way to Heifei castle under guard to seek safety."

At least that was something. His wife and sister-in-law were safe. For that, Sun Ce could be thankful. Breathing a sigh of relief, he kicked open the doorway of his well-decorated audience chamber, staring headlong at the band of red-clad troops lining the hallway.

"How many men do I have? Is there any word from Lady Lianshi? Has she had any luck in her audience with Cao Pi?"

"Five-hundred," the soldier answered hastily, falling in at his lord's side. "If we factor in your personal bodyguard then that number stands at six. As for Lady Lianshi, it would seem she has been successful in requesting aid from Lord Cao Pi. Their forces are due to arrive a week from now."

A week? That was far too long. At best, they'd be lucky to hold out another day. No matter. There was to be no surrender. They'd fight to the last! Such was the way of things for a man of the Sun Family.

"Very well," Sun Ce gave his messenger a cool, collected smirk, stepping forth into the expanse of the castle's wide and elegantly decorated hallway, basking in the sight of velvet and gold. "Send word to all of the castle staff. Try and have the fires put out. I'll ride forth from the central courtyard and try holding these Jing scoundrels back!

"Very good, my lord. We'll do our best until you return."

With that much in mind, the young ruler of Wu enjoyed the slightest flutter of relief. The battle ahead would be hard, but at least the castle would be in safe hands until he could drive the enemy back. They were far too close to the gates for comfort. Something had to be done about that.

"Alright then! I'll be off! Be sure to let me know if any news comes from the relief forces at Heifei. It'd be good to see Zhu Ran and Ling Tong right about now!"

The courtyard stood - chaos afoot, as swords clanged and the cries of battle rang through the air with reckless abandon. It was time to strike back. No longer would Liu Biao and his lapdogs be allowed to shame the people of Wu by invading their lands and harassing their people!

Twirling his tonfa, men at his sides both left and right, Sun Ce let out a cheer, the adrenaline coursing through his veins in a red-hot wave of determination. His foes were numerous – there was no doubt about that – but for a man to prove his worth in battle was what life was all about.

"On me, men," he called out, the words booming from his throat, as he held strong. "It's about time we drive these fools from Jing back! I won't stop until this siege is broken and I've avenged my father. It's about time we cut Huang Zu down!"

A mighty cheer erupted, cutting through the air with the thunderous applause of the gods. The lives of so many were in Sun Ce's hands. Failing here today was not an option. The land he'd fought so hard to build alongside his fallen brother Zhou Yu stood in the balance.

Into battle the Little Tiger charged, steel clashing with steel and spears flying as the man of Wu – the rouge-clad defenders of the Sun Family's dreams putting all they had on the line.

One soldier, two; three; four - a dozen. Felling these simple soldiers under Liu Biao's command was too easy. It was almost as though they'd had no training, held no understanding of what it meant to fight in a battle such as this. Sun Ce smirked, quietly confident toward the thought. If this kept up then they'd have the castle safe and secure in no time.

"They're limitless in number, that much is true, but such a thing doesn't matter to me."

The young lord slammed his feet into the ground, mustering everything he had. His body ablaze with the fires of war, he lunged headlong into the masses. One strike was all he needed, a single blow to bring each of these simple soldiers down to their knees.

"Keep on pushing forward, soldiers. Today we're going to bask in the sweet feeling of victory. If our enemies want to win here then they're going to have to try much better than this!"

"Yeaaaaaahhh!" With another unified roar of power, the soldiers of Wu fought ever onward, the stab of pike, the twist of spear and the slash of sword serving to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. "For Lord Sun Ce! For Lady Shang-Xiang! For the people of Wu!"

Sun Ce skidded back, watching with pride and poise as slowly, inch by inch, the soldiers clad in purple seemed to be faltering. Cracks in their lines became wider, quickly filled by the flowing of red as his soldiers pushed hard into their ranks, separating them, scattering them, breaking them.

"That's it! Keep up the offensive! We're pushing them further and further back!"

Sun Ce watched with quiet enthusiasm. The expressions of his enemies spoke vast amounts of their sentiment. They looked to be shaken, dazed, and utterly confused. Had they not anticipated such a forceful counterattack from their foes? Regardless, now was the perfect opportunity to strike out.

"Circle them. If we can drive into their sides we'll be able to cut off their retreat."

One by one the enemy fell, screaming, bloodied and panicking amidst the perfectly timed counterattack. Like pigs to the slaughter, they cried out. Perfect, at long last the tables were turning. Slew upon slew of men turned tail, screaming, fleeing for their lives as an unstoppable red tide descended upon them, cutting through their numbers with skill, strength and pride.

"My lord," a voice rang out, catching Sun Ce's attention in the heat of the moment. Sidestepping an incoming strike and knocking a soldier to the floor, he turned in the direction of one addressing him.

That short, scruffy hair and simple robes – it was the messenger from before. What message did he bring now? Good news, the young ruler hoped. At last, they were finally turning the tables.

"Go ahead," Sun Ce exhaled stiffly, stepping back, watching his troops as they charged onward, pushing the last of the Jing soldiers from the courtyard. "Has there been word from any of the relief forces?"

"Yes my lord." Such words from the young lad brought a feeling like no other. Hope. Now, for the first time since the battle began, there was the warm feeling of hope.

"Zhu Ran's forces have almost arrived from Heifei. They'll be here within the hour. However, I also bring other news of great importance. A second wave of enemy forces is already heading directly this way. Our scouts on the frontline tell me that they are under the command of a pirate named-"

There came a low, rattling – the kind unmistakable as the cries of battle rang out further off in the distance. It was one Sun Ce knew all too well, for it had been associated countless times with the guise of marauders and rogues – the sort of ruffians who charged headlong into the fray for coin.

"Bells. Can anyone else hear the bells?"

Before there was so much as a second to speak further, the rattle of the bells only got louder and louder. It was all around the four corners of the courtyard, impossible to pin down but too sharp in its rhythm to ignore.

From the corners of the vision, Sun Ce witnessed a blur of speed – a flash of swift so impossibly quick it was almost as though it wasn't there. Edging back carefully, he twirled out his tonfa yet again.

"So you're the one who's in charge around here, arent'cha? The Little Conqueror of Jiangdoing? Hmph. Alright. Guess I should introduce myself, huh?"

A wall of muscle and tattoos, strong, cocky, and seemingly so very smug. Through the main gate there strolled a figure with scruffy red hair, a bandanna wrapped around his forehead, deep, powerful eyes glowing red-hot with inner-fire. A pirate, perhaps? He sure looked like one. The way he carried himself with such an attitude spoke far louder than any words.

In the middle of the courtyard he stopped, a dozen similarly dressed men at his back, brandishing blades and cutlasses. Kicking his heel against the bloodied floor below, the man let out sharp scoff.

"Name's Gan Ning. I've been sent here by Huang Zu to put an end to you personally. Been paid a pretty penny for the honor, too. So, what say you, Tiger of the Sun Family? Think you got what it takes to face a real warrior in one-on-one combat?"

So, Gan Ning was his name? The young lord had heard of this marauder before. If the rumours were anything to go by, he had half the pirate bands across the Wu territory under his command. So, it had come to this, had it? Liu Biao was hiring pirates and mercenaries to try to topple their forces.

A chance to face a real warrior in battle, not just these simple peons? A flash of heat coursed through Sun Ce's veins at the thought. If anything, there was a thrill to such a fight between two skilled warriors.

"You're on! If you think you've got what it takes then come over here and prove it, Gan Ning. I'll show you what a real fighter can do!"

"Hmph," again the pirate scoffed – strolling closer with reckless abandon. His men stayed back as he closed the gap. "So what they say about you is true. You're not just some snort-nosed princeling that sits on his throne barking orders."

Twirling out his scimitar sword, Gan Ning fell into stance. "I can respect that much about a leader. Looks like ya got more backbone than the man paying me right now. Second largest army in the land and he's still runnin' scared."

Running scared? What did Liu Biao have to run from when he had the whole of Jing Province under his control? Now that was an interesting thing to say.

"What are you getting at, Gan Ning? If Liu Biao's afraid then why fight for him? I'm guessing there's somebody far more capable out there for you to stand beside."

All the pirate did was take up his stance, a cool, commanding smirk curving his lips upward. "Looks like I said a little too much there. Oops. Not like it'll matter shortly! I'm here for the thrill of battle! Nothing much else bothers me!"

In a blur of speed the two warriors collided, the force of such colossal power sending shockwaves of mighty energy across the battlefield. Ready to fight for his life, the young tiger locked his weapon with his foe, heart thundering under with powerful adrenaline. The thrill of testing one's strength – it was a feeling like no other!

As the flames raged across Jianye and the sands of time pushed onward, the young ruler would continue to fight for his homeland and his people. There was no way in the world he'd let the forces of Jing take this place.

"Alright, Gan Ning! Show me what you've got!"

"Oh… trust me… I will!"

There came a flash of light, gone in an instant, whizzing past the eyes and jarring the senses. Pain, like a freezing, icy storm flooded forth. Everything was so cloudy, so impossibly difficult to make out. Sun Ce's entire body shook, frozen to the core and so very heavy.

What was going on? No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts came back a jumble. Chaos and urgency screamed out in his mind, a dozen different voices warning him to concentrate, yelling at him to keep on going, but a dark veil descended upon his eyes.

The short, elegantly curved edges of a knife, entered his vision as sluggishly, agonizingly he panned down, staring in wide-eyed disbelief.

Laughter rang out from Gan Ning – his wrist turning inward as he twisted the sharpened metal. Shredding pain, agony like no other wracked every nerve, pushing Sun-Ce to the very brink.

Warm, metallic tasting liquid flooded his mouth, poisoned his sense of taste – a flood of red spilling from his lips and staining his clothing.

"One-on-one combat? Don't be stupid!"

Everything moved in a twisted blur – Sun Ce reeling as his back thumped against the coldness of concrete, jarring his bones. Above him, the pirate towered, brandishing the blood-covered dagger between his fingers.

"This knife's coated in the poison of a Nanmaan snake. I'd say you've got a few more minutes 'till that fire inside ya burns out, little tiger. I'd say sorry for cutting you down like this… but what happens to Wu just ain't my concern."

"D-damn," Sun Ce hacked, the vile taste of bloodied bile filling his throat. "Damn you…. This… This isn't-"

The pain – it was almost too much to bare. Using the last of his strength, he reached out with a trembling hand. "This isn't over. S- so long as my sister still stands… the Sun Family will never die…. Yo- You'll never… truly take this land for you own."

A bright, blinding flash of purest white – a weight lifting from the body in a moment of relief. Sun Ce exhaled stiffly, the burden of this world and all of its problems flickering away in an instant.

"Lord Sun Ce! Lord Sun Ce has fallen! R- Retreat! EVERYBODY RUN!"

"Sorry, everyone." There came one final, fragile cough from the ruler's lips. "Looks like it's… time for me t-to… join my father…."

To be continued….

So, there you have it. One of the largest twists I had planned for the story so far! What will happen now that things have taken a massive turn? What did you think? Is there anything you'd like to see in future? Feel free to leave some feedback and let me know if you want to.

As always, keep on supporting Dynasty Warriors! Thank you for all of the support so far and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Oh, and for those of you that like my story, I have plenty more stuff for you to read! You're more than welcome to check it out if you like!